Wrestling notebook: WPIAL makes weight changes because of weather’s impact on practices

By: Paul Schofield
Tuesday, January 27, 2026 | 6:55 PM

The WPIAL team tournament is scheduled to begin Wednesday, and because of the heavy snow and frigid temperatures, the WPIAL has informed teams an additional 2-pound allowance will be in effect.

Some teams could not practice Monday, which affected their wrestlers’ conditioning and ability to maintain their weight.

Things are scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. with pigtail-round matches in Class 3A at Franklin Regional, Connellsville, Canon-McMillan and Norwin and Class 2A at Burrell, Laurel, McGuffey and Derry.

At the conclusion of the pigtail-round matches, the first round and quarterfinals will be held.

The semifinals and finals are Saturday at AHN Arena at Peters Township High School.

There could be at least three tight quarterfinal matches: in Class 3A North Allegheny at Canon-McMillan and Trinity at Norwin. In Class 2A, Jefferson-Morgan at Laurel.

“There is a lot of balance in Class 3A,” Franklin Regional coach Matt Lebe said. “We defeated Moon early in the season, and I expect another tight battle.

“Matchups and the coin flip could be a determining factor.”

Norwin coach Kyle Martin said his team will have its hands full in a possible match against Trinity.

“They are very good,” Martin said. “We are trying to build a consistent winner here. We still must learn to finish matches.”

PIAA teams traveling

The PIAA team tournament finals are slated for Feb. 6-7 at 1st Summit Arena in Johnstown, and there is a lot more travel for teams in the first and second rounds when the tournament begins Feb. 3.

Here is a look at the WPIAL teams’ first-round matches.

The WPIAL 3A champion will host the District 8 champion or the District 3 fourth-place winner.

The WPIAL 3A runner-up will host the District 9/District 10 winner, the WPIAL third-place team faces the District 12 runner-up and that winner will face the District 3 champion, which is near Harrisburg.

In Class 2A, the WPIAL champion hosts the District 6 runner-up.

The second-place team will travel to the District 5 champion, which is near Bedford.

The third-place team will face the District 10 runner-up, and that winner will be at the District 6 champion, which is near Johnstown.

The fourth-place team travels to District 3 to face the District 4 runner-up. That winner faces the District 3 winner.

Swink reaches 500 wins

Connellsville wrestling coach Bill Swink joined an elite club Friday.

With wins against Parkersburg (W.Va.) and Morgantown University, the Falcons improved to 14-2.

The wins also put Swink in the 500-win club.

Swink, a 1982 Connellsville graduate, began coaching Connellsville Junior High West before moving to Virginia, where he was an assistant coach at Stafford High School, C.D. Hylton High School, North Stafford High School and Louisa County High School.

He then was a head coach at North Stafford and Osborn Park before taking over at Colonial Forge High School, where he compiled 417 victories.

He is a member of the Virginia Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

He has also a USA Wrestling’s President’s Award.

Swink has coached for more than 40 years. He coached 130 state placewinners and 23 state champions at Colonial Forge.

His first Connellsville state champion was Jared Keslar.

He also has continued the team tradition: Connellsville is the only team to compete in the WPIAL team tournament every year since it began in 1979.

Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.